Up next in 10
Don’t miss this exclusive interview on Sway In The Morning as Grammy-winning R&B icon Ledisi shares her inspiring journey, from her early days in Oakland to her unforgettable Super Bowl performance. Ledisi opens up about her music career, the power of independence, and how her mother’s wisdom shaped her path. She reflects on her struggles, lessons in resilience, and the drive behind creating soulful music that moves audiences worldwide. Tune in for heartfelt stories, laughs, and a celebration of her legacy, including her upcoming album "The Crown" and the Love You Too Tour!
Subscribe for more exclusive interviews and insights from Sway’s Universe, where culture meets inspiration. Watch now and be part of the conversation!
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CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Ledisi’s Journey to Independence
02:00 - Ledisi’s Early Career and Independence
05:15 - Ledisi’s Childhood and Dysfunctional Household
09:16 - Ledisi’s Mother’s Influence
10:15 - How H.E.R. Grew Up
11:32 - Relationships After Leaving Home
14:55 - Getting the Super Bowl Call
20:08 - Listener Calls and Interactions
25:18 - Essential Music Recommendations
27:19 - Staying True to Yourself
29:33 - Love You Too
33:55 - Caller - Dula from NY
37:10 - Celebrating Graham’s Birthday
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0:00
come on man let's clap it up stand an ovation that was a body slam come on i was I was call I was screaming at the
0:07
scream when she was at the Super Bowl i didn't know she heard my voice have to be Well she was drowned out you might
0:12
have been drowned out by about 80,000 90,000 i was there live like 135 million
0:20
that watched it but I I figured because I'm from the flat lands
0:25
of Oakland Bay Area and she went to high school in the hills okay
0:33
i'm not hating you sound like a little hate it's a lot of hate big baby hate
0:39
skyline i went to Oakland High oakland High was all right all right my sister went to
0:47
Oak High we good oh she must have been the stepsister no no
0:53
she did not like Skyline so she liked Oakland High so oh better yet she was the real one
0:59
what's the difference between Skyline and Oakland Hide tax brackets that
1:06
part a performing arts scholarship that's why I went so there you go that's how you were able to afford being Sorry
1:13
I didn't touch it no that's all right now we just want to make sure the mic is up on you yeah yeah you had a performing
1:19
arts by the way hold up man let me not let me Hold up yeah cuz you got to She need a sway intro okay man well this is
1:25
what I'mma do that's I you know I had one that I was thinking I was just going to freestyle flow it but I knew by doing
1:31
that I would miss out on a lot of things but I will tell you this i will say this
1:37
uh since she first came out in the year 2000 I thought she was an exceptional well when we first a lot of people first
1:45
got to hear her in the year 2000 I always believed her to be an exceptional vocalist um and I knew there was grit
1:52
and layers to her vocals that had a lot of story behind it even as she came out
1:58
as an independent artist you remember that's right on on her own putting out
2:04
music on her own that was really brave of her um at that time to do and she
2:10
ultimately got the attention of many and and did a deal with I want to say with Verb was it what was Verb okay i
2:16
remember she did a deal with Verb no I remember this because I found it fascinating that her route paralleled
2:24
what a lot of rappers have to do oh absolutely that's who we studied yeah oh
2:29
really yeah okay yeah master P was the first and Too Short and uh gosh I'm
2:36
missing one other from the Bay Area oh E40 e40 yeah with the CL we would follow
2:41
what they did and they we sold our CDs out of the car and street just talking
2:47
to everybody going to the flea market uhhuh passing out flyers we did it like
2:52
like the old school way they didn't Now they have the internet but we were actually people to people boots to the ground boots to the ground and and then
3:00
ultimately coming back and that was Lan Records then you signed with Verb and
3:06
now you years ago started your own label again yes I I have my own label called
3:12
Listen Back Entertainment listen Back Entertainment under BMG yeah under BMG so she has her own distrib distribution
3:19
deal right and so and then you look at the list of accolades i needed a litany
3:24
of for this man let's break down these accolades homie grammy award winner clap her up Kaio 14 Grammy nominations
3:33
okay performed with artists like Dave Matthews Maxwell Herby Hancock Robert
3:38
Glasper wow we saw her last year with Robert Glasper three Soul Train Music Awards 19 NAACP Image Award nominations
3:47
honorary member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc portrayed Mahalia Jackson
3:53
patty Leel come on man appeared in polls Twice Bitten All Saints Christmas
3:59
Spinning Gold as Glattis Knight wow okay broadway debut was Carolina change um
4:07
returned the return in the life you returned in the life on Broadway uh
4:13
professor at Berkeley College of Music president of the Recording Academyy's Los Angeles chapter step back come on
4:20
author of two books Better Than All right finding peace love and power and don't ever lose and don't ever lose
4:27
ladies and gentlemen this is somebody if you even driving in your car you should be giving a standing ovation absolutely
4:34
this is DIY to its finest this is royalty r&b
4:40
royalty please give it up for the one and only leters in the building i love this intro absolutely thanks for having
4:48
me have to yo you deserve your accolades you deserve your props i ain't going to
4:53
say flowers we giving you a whole rainforest right now you know and and I
4:59
and I you know I I will admit that I've been biased with you i I know you didn't grow you didn't come to Oakland till you
5:06
know a little later but you came out of Oakland yes I did you know I said PJ calls me Nola Bay
5:13
when he mixes it together nola Bay nola Bay norans in uh the Bay Area right what
5:20
gave you the goal to be so independent though because that's hard for R&B
5:25
artists well I felt my mom she was an artist and so everything that she did I
5:32
felt like she taught me early about copyright forms and not to sign anything without her looking at it she was a
5:38
legal secretary who was pretty much an artist had her own band in the in uh New Orleans and then when we moved to
5:45
California she let that go and saw me and started helping me out with whatever
5:50
I want never a push but when I started you know getting contracts in my face and just seeing me perform and said "No
5:58
I'm going to teach you about the business first you can sing you're going to be fine but you got to know the
6:03
business." So that's why I have my own independence yeah what made you guys
6:08
move to California did something happen better job for my mom take care of her family she wanted something more you
6:16
know and uh that's the only reason but it I say home goes with you even when you get a new home yeah it's the same
6:22
cuz I was the eyeball saying good morning good evening hey babe you know
6:28
you had to and Oakland was like what's wrong with you what's wrong
6:34
with her no one spoke and you're like wow I'm a weirdo you know so I
6:40
immediately I was out of place i'm so glad you shared that because Sway acts like New York New Jersey are the rudest
6:46
roughest gruffest places in the world only to find out people from Oakland wasn't speaking the letter Sway no but
6:53
they weren't rude to her they weren't rude but I had to fight every day though damn talk about after school you were
7:00
fighting like fist fighting well because I was the I told you I was the nerd i had a different accent i was odd you
7:06
know the kids were like "We don't know her we don't like her." But when they did started to not the only way I got
7:13
friends was when I started singing so when I sang it changed everything i said "Oh all I have to do is sing and they'll
7:20
stop picking on me." And that changed everything oh don't mess with her we like her cuz she can sing you know the
7:26
ring in my voice would make things different wow so that that felt better but once they love you in Oakland they
7:33
love you for life they love you for life you are theirs okay so I always go back always so singing is like your
7:40
superpower that pretty much pretty much that's the thing that would calm everything you know cuz I grew up
7:47
dysfunctional home like like most and when you have music it would always
7:52
change the mood you know everybody calms down so I would use that to okay let's
7:57
just sing or something you know or play some Earth and Fire my stepdad was a drummer so I started on the drums i
8:04
didn't really sing i would just play the drums or hear music or watch my mom or I wanted to do something else like teach
8:10
or you know you know study classical because I like classical music so I'm
8:16
the little odd nerd i know I don't seem like it but I am no you fly yeah
8:21
that's interesting how you we we we walk over the dysfunctional household oh your
8:27
story we all got that story to tell right yeah um and I don't know what they
8:33
call that trauma something it's a term for that when you know when we when we when we lean into our trauma yeah right
8:40
but that ain't all it was in your household obviously right i know it was a lot it was Oh it was a lot of trauma
8:46
it was a lot of trauma okay she like "Back up Swag listen it was a
8:51
lot it was a lot it was Yeah it was a lot and I ain't trying to normalize it either no I'm not
8:58
i'm not and look we can laugh at it today for me he listen i try to tell him every day
9:04
let He just He don't listen he keep playing we can laugh at it a little bit now we
9:11
can but not then it was nothing to be laughing at but we got through i got We got through it how How How did you break
9:18
the cycle you got through well I left when I was 18 i left the house early um
9:24
I could have stayed longer but I had enough yeah my mom wouldn't leave so I had to leave my stepfather was an
9:30
alcoholic and he had issues which made it everything else harder for our living
9:35
my mom was our provider she took care of the home you know so I saw a strong black woman that's all I saw taking just
9:42
holding it up but always telling us how beautiful we are yeah no matter despite how chaotic the home might have been she
9:49
was always "You're beautiful just as you are you don't forget that i don't know what the world's going to say to you but
9:55
you remember what I'm telling you right you're beautiful she would say that to all her kids so it's like oh it was just
10:02
great like having that reinforcement even though all this chaos would go on in our home but you know we got through
10:09
it i left at 18 i had to leave and never came back and grew up really quickly i I
10:16
waited tables went to college where did you tables at i waited tables at Sizzler first which one the one in Alama i Yeah
10:24
no the one in San Leandro it was San Leandro that little mall you remember that little mall i was there uh Bayfair
10:29
Mall no no not Bay uh it's the one in the middle the other one ah jeez right by San Lorenzo almost i know exactly
10:36
which one i just can't think of it it's okay but it's right there in that little strip mall that That was first then I
10:41
went to Red Robin that one was Red Robin red Robin that was by Bay that was
10:47
Bayfair Mall i used to go to that was my go-to spot that was your go-to spot come on they had the chicken sandwiches with
10:53
the pineapple on it that's what you had i had the fries all the time you was working there when about 90 what i don't
10:59
remember dates very well i think you served me my chicken sandwich i did oh sway get out see he playing he playing
11:05
all day he playing cuz he can't help it don't play i know i ain't
11:10
ser fries I think right pineapple chicken sandwich how How did I think I'm
11:16
still affected by some of the things I've seen in my household when it comes to relationships
11:21
and uh I'm better now that I'm grown i think you could you could selfcorrect
11:26
you know as you become an adult but when you're a young adult it could be difficult how difficult was it for you
11:32
in relationships post leaving your mother's house um it it wasn't for me
11:38
because I was focused on my music so much i did theater i did I would pour
11:43
everything into the music to get it out and I wasn't dating a lot i didn't know
11:49
that wasn't my thing like I was nervous about people but it wasn't until like I
11:55
started moving outside of Oakland and understanding different the variety of people like I think moving from Oakland
12:03
and working in San Francisco it changed my view of people that's great yeah does
12:09
that make sense like well getting out of Oakland you know what I mean oakland if you stay in that one area too long and
12:16
not venture out you'll just be in Oakland mhm you got you got ceilings and walls
12:22
psychological ceilings exactly and walls and you could just go across that bridge when I started working at KEL see it
12:30
changed it changed cuz I'm I'm in that area was in um over near the pier pier 39 at that time and I'm around all this
12:38
different you know all these different fields of um occupation and being around all these different people tourist the
12:44
whole nine it just opened my mind up exactly right yeah it was like being outside of your comfort zone and then
12:51
getting uncomfortable with different people and learning about cultures and different languages and I mean that
12:58
opened me up to explore other people and and and then I started performing with
13:03
my band and I would meet different people from all over the world what was the name of your band the initial was
13:10
Ana that's your middle name right that's my middle name right i remember those days you were there you Come on man you
13:16
playing i remember you on Cameo though i was on Cameo right after you graduated
13:22
i was like "One day I'm sw that's dope." And look at us now i love it you know
13:28
last year when we was at the Blue No that was incredible god it was such a
13:33
time yeah man we were smiling and Sway and I were off to the side watching you
13:38
perform and just singing the songs and watching the crowd react to you it was dope and then not knowing back then in
13:46
September that you would be doing the Super Bowl it was just like such an amazing surprise and just like we can't
13:53
help but to root for you le like it it's just it was amazing to see because you've always just been you like your
13:59
authentic self just breaking down your childhood and how you had the struggle to work the the sizzler the red robin
14:06
doing it independent your mom your home and then you hear all of this and you like one day I'm gonna meet Sway but
14:13
that's your friend that's your extended family but it's like one day I'mma be at the Super Bowl like you took that
14:19
platform and just man what's the first thing I told you in the hallway i was like girl that Super Bowl performance
14:27
stop that that's going to be one that was that's going to be studied trust me it it was incredible that for real I I'm
14:34
still processing that moment i don't know how to explain it it was the biggest platform I've ever had in my
14:40
career and then to have go back full circle to New Orleans is like
14:47
I don't know i just wanted it to be good every detail was examined from Go ahead
14:55
please no what was the call like so what how did you get the call you want to know all the details yes cuz me and Sway
15:01
haven't gotten the Super Bowl call yet let let us know how that goes buying scalpers
15:08
tickets was that We could have called you yeah we got
15:13
scalper ticket i should have called you scalper you going to get us locked
15:19
in trouble whatever it's behind us now kevin had my number look no
15:25
no but um I we got a call my manager said um Rex was on the phone rex in the
15:32
building too man got to shout out Rex man rex right now that's a 20 year friendship right there beautiful it's
15:37
amazing um he called he and Kevin called and they said led it was like uh when
15:43
was it Rex like July or something yeah around July he said "Hey we need to tell
15:48
you some big news." And I'm like "Oh Lord what's this going to be another bill." You know what I'm saying
15:55
but he was like "No we we got a call that they want you to sing at the Super Bowl." And I was like "Stop lying you
16:04
lying you lying." And they were like "No no you they want you to sing." Uh and you know he told me who to asked me to
16:12
do and I said "Wow this is amazing." And we had already started writing for the
16:17
next project uh just to just to write because I knew I might want to go on on tour next year so I said I always want
16:24
to make sure I have a single so I was like now I really got to write you know what I mean
16:32
wow no you really got to write but when they called it was amazing i started thinking of the arrangement what we're
16:37
going to do how are we going to do this every detail matter you can't just get up there and just oh I'mma just Well you
16:44
can if you want but now I'm lety now i got to make it a a moment you know what I mean this is it you're not going to
16:50
get a bigger stage hey hello i said so Rex how many people he's like about 80 thou 80 who
16:57
oh shoot then I got nervous rex looked that calm like Rex looks like he's always calm when he said 80,000 oh okay
17:06
never mind he's calm today okay okay thank God but you heard,000 but when
17:11
when he when he knows when I'm nervous he keeps keeps me calm he does but he told me it's 80,000 but he also said you
17:18
know you're singing lift every voice and sing and that comes with a lot of stuff so be prepared you know they also
17:25
prepared me for the high and the low of the the undercurrent i'll just say that
17:30
but focus on the end result that's all they kept saying focus on getting to the end which means making it a moment
17:37
everything is a moment with me i just cuz you I always look at it like you got one shot make it work make it count and
17:44
move people you know it's bigger than me it's always bigger than me yep just like
17:50
you what you're doing here i've watched some of your interviews i was like dang they're really helping people that's
17:55
what this is all about you know thank you and that's big that's big so when you do your craft in any setting
18:03
whatever that may be you have to make a moment and affect people that's the real
18:08
goal to me why we're humans and why we're on this planet is to make people feel something make them feel and ignite
18:15
it to do something greater you know and I had so much hate mail and all these
18:22
things and I was like I don't care about none of that i have to finish the song yeah yeah I have to get to this song and
18:28
I want to make it just as big as any other song that you've heard at a Super Bowl so the arrangement I was in the
18:34
kitchen singing it i sent it to Rex was like "You got to use Adam." Okay we going to get Adam and Adam Blackstone
18:40
adam Blackstone adam Blackstone Jersey yes thank you for that ab
18:47
I sang it on my little you know voice memo and sent it to him it was raggedy i
18:53
was like "Don't play that for nobody." He played for everybody so they can get the arrangement and he sent it back and it
19:00
was amazing and then they heard it and they like "We need a choir." And I was like "A choir you going to put a choir
19:06
on this too?" It just kept getting bigger and bigger they were like "Well the arrangement is screaming for it."
19:12
And then they told me it was children at the end i didn't know that the babies were going to be there and from New
19:18
Orleans i was like "What?" I didn't find out till the till probably 3 4 days
19:24
before before mh so I was blown away but I was scared to sing it so I went to a church in New Orleans um a friend's
19:32
church and practiced there in private cuz there was I can't sing it in a hotel room you know what I mean everybody
19:37
would have heard it well they'd be lined up at your door for your autograph one or the other so I was trying to hide in
19:43
the hotel and just chill out and you know but when I was at the church I would practice and I had interviews all
19:49
week i It was The interview process was huge right you used to all that yeah I'm
19:55
not used to that that was big another level yeah it went it kept I said "Okay
20:00
so this is how the hot light feels you know and I think I handled it well." But it was emotional every every second was
20:08
emotional let's play that back sing the
20:13
rising sun of our new
20:24
sing that's what my mama said let
20:30
us victory that's a shout yes couldn't help it
20:41
is one
20:54
oh my gosh wow letty is here 888
20:59
742 3345 crazy yo let's go in the song love you
21:05
too we got that DB wow y'all
21:10
we going to open up these phone lines this off the new album The Crown coming
21:16
out April 25th y'all love you too legacy is in here beautiful
21:23
song right here love you too right here my man Rex rex last name is Ride Out rex
21:28
Ride Out where you from Rex pittsburgh i grew up with a brother named Ricky Ride
21:34
Out are you serious out of Oakland yeah you know Ricky Ry out many of us i'm surprised I know yeah
21:42
ricky Ry Out that's my brother man we grew up running track in Oakland that's a unique last name yeah that's why Yeah
21:49
y'all I guarantee you along the line we ran away together yeah okay ricky Ride
21:55
Out and he a writer he been with with you for over 20 years right okay your new album The Crown we got a
22:02
lot of people calling up at once they heard that voice they calling up we going live we're live this is a live
22:08
track we're live yeah every like you were live at the Super Bowl sing that wasn't a track right no absolutely not
22:14
absolutely not that was me i had to sing rex wasn't having it adam wasn't having Yeah no they were like "You got to sing
22:20
live." That's why I did the Oh that that shout to let you to let you know it was
22:26
you it's me wow that was beautiful why didn't they want you to do a a TV track why why were you I had the option to but
22:32
Rex and Adam was they're like "No this is the moment sing let the people hear you sing." You know beautiful and that's
22:39
what I did let's take some calls let's go to Indiana velma been waiting patiently hi Velma velma say hey hey to
22:46
Letty lettucey is here go ahead Velma got to turn your radios down callers
22:52
velma if you would turn your radio down you know I'm talking to you velma ain't ready she'll hear this
22:57
on delay watch good morning everybody
23:04
mike called it good morning i have never done this be I have never done this before in my life
23:10
but I listen to y'all all the time i love you guys i love Mike love you too i let Mike He on vacation but uh welcome
23:17
to the show your first time caller Felma yes I'm my first time calling anybody
23:24
okay all right welcome to the show too i'm from East Oakland you're from East
23:30
Oakland what part east Oakland what street you from i'm from East Oakland i'm from uh I'm from 83rd 83rd between
23:36
Vancross and Don but I went to Tech okay i live behind Calmont okay that's
23:41
beautiful you went to Tech you know that's all right well you can hear the competition in his voice no I mean she
23:48
in third it never goes away she in third she in third
23:54
lord well anyway I just wanted to call and let Miss Lettucey know that you are
23:59
a force girl a keep doing what you doing you are a force i'm telling you thank
24:05
you so much for that i mean you got me sitting in Burlington Coat Factory parking lot on the phone looking calling
24:11
in i ain't never did this before but I just had to tell you girl you are a force honey a thank you Velma see that's
24:17
East Oakland right there i'm 90th 96 in Holly 96 96 in Holly over here oh and
24:23
Holly 96 96 and go see her live Easter the hood hood go see her live Velma
24:31
she's going on tour soon as well yes and I was I caught you in uh Indianapolis
24:37
for your birthday last year with Raheem Devon oh wow well thank you for coming that was a fun night that was a great
24:43
show oh that was so much fun thank you for coming thanks for supporting Velma i really appreciate it oh no problem
24:49
especially East Oakland in there east Oakland though you know I'm from You know I'm from 23rd you know where I'm
24:55
from vilma you already know you already know
25:01
legacy new too she got scared for a second that's why I looked like
25:06
I'mma be quiet over here i love you guys have a great You too you a citizen get her album april 25th The Crown you're
25:13
going to love it there's music we need to hear right
25:18
i remember Pot told me I did this interview i don't even I didn't know why this came to mind pac said to me in one
25:25
of his last interviews Sway I said "What direction are you taking in music?" Cuz
25:30
you got people confused sometimes you Brenda's having a baby and then I'm hit him up and I'm a writer and he said "Man
25:38
I'm making music sway that the people want to hear everybody from the pimps to
25:44
the derelicts the drug dealers the the the co you know the the Ivy League
25:49
people i'mma make what they want to hear first and then the next thing I'mma make is what they need to hear i gotta get
25:56
their attention and then I'mma make what they need to hear with this album when I was listening to the crown cuz I got an
26:02
early version of the beat the the thing I kept thinking is the people right now
26:08
need this kind of music they need to hear love being talked about in this way
26:13
they need to hear music that is mix that's uh fusing together creating this
26:20
unique vibration off of every song that hits us in with a chord that makes us
26:26
feel great it's a spiritual connection to what you're doing i listen to your music and I I felt better wow you know
26:34
what I mean some people meditate some people go to the sauna you know I got the executive status at Equinox so
26:41
sometimes I go to the No it was no need led for him to even bring that in just got it i just wanted you know I'm just
26:46
being I'm just speaking my truth go home okay but now what I can do you know I
26:53
don't want to sign no more i could just listen to you always sneak in always
26:58
that's my That's the twamps the twamps for you the truth you You don't have to
27:04
You keep doing this though like you you don't you don't sell out you don't break
27:10
code she don't compromise so that voice could go over any kind of music
27:16
and you got the kind of skill set where you could train you could sing a pop record better than a pop artist and
27:21
manipulate it yeah yeah wow but you keep this path going is that conscious um I
27:29
just I think so mhm i I just think I want the biggest compliment you just
27:36
gave me is what I've always wanted with my music i feel better i feel good you said all the feel good
27:43
that's how an Anita Baker makes me feel luther makes me feel Aretha makes me
27:49
feel all these great soul artists and who can sing anything like me i can sing
27:55
anything that's not a flex that's saying God blessed me to be able to do that amen but I always choose soul music or
28:02
or any music that comes to me but anytime I sing anything I want people to feel good so that is conscious now what
28:11
I decide to write is not i just write i don't think oh this is going to be a
28:17
market this is going to be the you know what I mean but when I'm singing or when I'm creating do they feel good will they
28:24
feel better that's will they feel enlightened i always go back to that so you gave me the biggest compliment ever
28:31
didn't I say that the whole time Rex does this feel good if it doesn't feel good people gonna need this next year
28:38
they're gonna need to feel better beautiful so that's what I focused on wow yeah man skyline and Oakland High
28:46
just connected finally you feel like being joined in
28:51
got to bring it it got to come together Oakland bring it together sweet well good i'm I'm And that's just my honest
28:57
I'm so glad you listen most people don't take the time to really listen to the music anymore and that means everything
29:04
to me cuz I work so hard on it and you want people to hear the whole embodiment
29:10
the whole thing you created it goes together i know we're single driven now and that's okay too cuz I don't have any
29:16
judgment about anything i think artists should just be artists whatever way they want but for me I create a whole body
29:23
but I also create singles too but I'm not thinking about it that way they just come out love you too is the first song
29:29
just came out just came out i love it man the black woman and I saw
29:34
a video and you just in that video highlighting everyone um Yes the great
29:40
Tyler Perry called I Rex said "Led I need you to send this song." It was
29:46
written by myself and a wonderful young producer uh Jock uh he he let me just be
29:53
myself on it and uh I woke up crying writing this song and then Rex heard it
29:59
and said "Hey let you have to send this to Tyler he he I think he would love this it's cinematic." So I sent it to
30:06
him at 3:00 in the morning when it was finished and uh I was scared to press send because I don't ask him for
30:11
anything but I really wanted a video that highlighted only black women and because and when I sent it immediately
30:19
what are you doing with this where's this going i need this yeah he wanted he said called what do you what do you need
30:26
and he the next day I got a video and that video you see he created it with
30:32
one of his members and that was a natural thing then he said put it up put it out and I said now I had to call the
30:39
label and tell you had to talk to all the team he said no we need this now
30:44
it's it's black history month women's month is coming the album is not even
30:49
announced yet so I just put it up and it went viral Michelle Obama all the all
30:55
the women Tracy Ellis Kelly Roland Miss Tina I mean everybody just started
31:00
posting it and it went viral you that girl that girl and I like that you give
31:05
history you know i'm going to always be a historian and and when you did the um
31:11
I want to say lettuce lettucey sings Nina nina yes nina Simone is so important to the DNA
31:17
so many different artists absolutely right whether they some know it some don't even know why they right are the
31:24
way they are and she was such an activist and such an independent-minded
31:29
strong person and I love the way you represent Nina you know can you tell us
31:34
about your relationship with Nina Simone well when I was uh in uh the when I was
31:41
first bought my first house in the Bay Area I was really depressed trying to hold the bills and keep it together you
31:48
know I'm in my late 20s trying to figure it out and I was deciding I was getting
31:53
really depressed and I didn't want to be here anymore i didn't want to be on this planet i wanted to commit suicide and
31:59
then I decided you know this is going to be the day I'm going to disappoint my mother and this song came on by Nina
32:05
Simone i would listen to a AM station that played jazz in in my living room
32:10
heard this song called uh Trouble in Mind by Nina Simone and it she said
32:16
trouble in mind I'm blue but I won't be blue always I know the sun is going to shine in my back door someday and her
32:23
piano and she was wailing and I said oh my god I'm okay like you said I feel
32:28
better that may excuse me that made me feel better so I got up and I just fell
32:34
in love with her and started listening to her more and more and I said one day I'm going to tribute her I'd spent all
32:41
my savings to get that album done no one believed in me to sing jazz music which is in just horrible because I'm from New
32:48
Orleans it's the first thing I learned you know so I used all my money got it finished and put it out and Rex believed
32:56
in me the only is let's see what happens cuz I'm R&B you know but to me Nenah is another version of R&B absolutely and so
33:03
I the blues so I put it out and boom it it's all over the world it took me all
33:08
over the world took me to Sweden and all these countries I had never been with orchestras now I'm I'm singing with
33:16
orchestras come on man baby singing in French come
33:21
on ladies hello come on come on Jim
33:27
come on twamps you know I'm from 23rd we You know we versatile rex ambidextrous
33:34
with the language are you popping your collar he got a cover going on heather
33:40
that is funny thank you for sharing that yeah yeah i'm sorry i go on and on but
33:45
that's what teachers do professors nah we need to hear that we need to hear
33:51
that i'm I'mma go back live real quick man we got from New York we got Doula on the line my brother-in-law what
33:59
i told my brother-in-law you were going to be on the show today doula what you doing man what am I doing oh my gosh wait
34:07
first of all good Friday to you my brother bless you same to you family hey Heather got Heather got the best brother
34:14
they my brothers i adopted them too he stole everybody he stole everybody she got the coolest brothers that's so cool
34:20
that's my brother-in-law i mean brother but the brother-in-law is my brother too yeah brother-in-law doula talk to her
34:26
man you got her here hi Doula hi Lettucey how you doing my sister from
34:31
another mister how are you i'm great on this Good Friday i'm around great people
34:37
today this is great and how are you i I
34:42
am I'm blessed to be on the phone with you trust me I listen to your song about
34:47
a hundred times a day i'm not even exaggerating yes wow thank you for that
34:53
listen I love that song i love you my question to you is did you make that song for someone or No oh
35:00
nobody said you could get a question duel about that i'm sorry i apologize
35:06
love you too that song no I wrote it I wrote it with my husband in mind but also just couples you know going through
35:14
things like no matter what we go through we're going to stay together we're going to work it out i love you and I love you
35:19
too we say that all the time so yeah and it reminded me of Artha Franklin when
35:25
she cuz I wanted to sing it with that same passion when she go I love you you know that same It reminded me of that
35:31
song Call Me the Moment You Get There so I said "Oh I want that same passion." You know doula I was telling Lety when
35:38
you were here last week to celebrate horse is my husband that's his nickname to celebrate horse's birthday let's see
35:44
an Aries too i said the entire time he kept talking about you yo HB you got to
35:49
hear this legacy song yeah he kept playing this song and playing this song and lo and behold you were on the
35:54
schedule the week after he wasn't here but I just had to tell him that you were going to be on the show he loves you and
36:00
he doesn't speak about a lot of people but my brother-in-law said lettuce is the truth two two Fs at the end the
36:07
truth and I and I and I'm going say this that song make you appreciate life make you appreciate people and I tell you no
36:15
lie that song will be around forever and thank you for making that song and I'm glad it was you that made it i
36:21
appreciate that a thank you thank you see Rex we did good doula she going on
36:26
tour with Marsha uh Ambroious right y the the love you will be there okay
36:32
Doula I will be there i can't wait to meet you i can't wait to see you as well likewise hey we Hey we'll call our
36:39
scalpers to see if we can get tickets doula no i got you i got you you let me know
36:45
all right I will i'll let you know my brother hey you see I just hooked you up with tickets Da see I got you my brother
36:51
i appreciate hey Doula thanks for calling in brother appreciate you man have a blessed day byebye hey Doula one
36:58
of the sharpest dressed people you ever gonna meet i do too i can't wait he's a real character but he loves you serious
37:05
for real no I feel it i feel that good guy right there uh let's take a few more
37:10
calls man um let's go to um Memphis memphis we have Graham out of Memphis go
37:17
ahead Graham what's up Graham graham you there hello yeah go ahead man
37:23
say hi to Lettucey hello Letty hi Graham how are you
37:29
well I'm just so ecstatic that I got to speak to you i'm such a fan recorded and
37:34
he's recording the call go ahead Graham heck yeah cuz I'm going to say that tomorrow's my birthday so my Aries my
37:40
Aries rock star over here happy birthday so much can maybe we get
37:47
a little happy birthday to you okay let me warm it happy birthday to you
37:54
happy birthday to you happy birthday dear
38:05
grand happy birthday to you and many more
38:14
oh my goodness i know you go dry that's so nice i'm about to hang you
38:20
up Graham yeah you this is it it ain't going to get no better for you that's it man say bye Graham no that's it this is
38:25
the last birthday that's it happy birthday Graham you're a citizen right let's wait
38:30
in the morning god bless you Gra that's awesome i got to take these calls man aretha is in Baltimore go ahead Artha
38:36
what's up Artha they all over the country right now good morning everybody hey hi
38:43
yes yes i love Baltimore we start our tour there i'm so excited hi right and I
38:50
see that you're going to be there on May 28th i'm going to get tickets yes yes you're the first you're the first show
38:58
for the Love You Too Tour i can't wait oh my god i can't wait to see you i just
39:03
wanted to say I love you and your song Pieces of Me got me through some hard
39:09
times when I was a caregiver for my mom and dad that passed away i just wanted to say I just feel like you were just
39:16
singing to me and I just love you just continue being a blessing and everybody
39:21
in the studio you guys are amazing you just don't know what an inspiration you
39:27
guys are like every day you pour into us and I just wanted to say thank you i just wanted to pour into you guys today
39:33
thank you so much thank you so much for that thank you wow i told you that's
39:38
what y'all thought this is We just be at service we just love service we you know
39:44
of service you know and thank you Artha you're you're a super citizen we appreciate that it's a lot of people
39:50
calling so we're going to keep taking these calls all right i'm looking at the dates they coming to a city near you as
39:56
Lety mentioned May 28th in Baltimore and I mean Virginia Wilmington Atlantic City Durham Louisville Chicago Milwaukee
40:03
Detroit Toronto Cleveland and then we got citizens calling from some of these places as well florence Memphis
40:09
Huntsville Charlotte Sway pick a city pick a caller i'mma pick Charlotte asa Asa's in Charlotte she going to be in
40:15
Charlotte June 24th with Marsha okay what's up hey you know what that's the
40:20
that you know what that was the information that I really needed and I will be there just like I'll be there in
40:26
the morning just you know what in the morning is one of my favorites man one of my absolute favorites and uh I think
40:48
I'm about to interrupt your call so citizen in the morning no we could get a quick drop from her in the
40:55
morning in the morning I got it okay and throw Heather and Tracy's name in it tracy G and Heather B that's
41:02
right come on okay all right okay we got We can do it now though but I got to figure I got to write Tracy G and
41:09
Heather all right i'm going get Take another call i'll get me going to go work heather have do do something cuz I
41:16
want to make sure it's right who go first who goes second you know I got you okay she'll touch you you know who go
41:21
first though well you know that the Twamps
41:28
let it be known hey um April is in Oakland speaking of the Twamps what up April turn your radio down april
41:36
hello hi y'all april from Oakland oakland it's
41:43
actually your cousin it's actually your cousin Too's wife how you doing Lacy how
41:49
are you oh my god I am doing well and slay I know you too
41:55
you got me my first job at Cameo as an intern i love you too
42:01
wow oh today is different look at God look at God look at God okay what up
42:08
April and I'm from Fremont High fremont
42:13
stop set tripping April i caught you better
42:20
i had to come on this morning and tell y'all how proud I am of y'all and how much I love you and let her have the
42:27
same birthday as her cousin K so it was like me lit for me to call and just tell
42:33
you you are such a blessing and call your auntie lit girl she love you i know
42:39
I will april I can't wait to see y'all yo let us in here crack it up April yes
42:47
yes April yes i can't even get a ticket to the show either every time I see Co
42:53
she is sold out lit is like you want to go to the show i'm like the ticket sold
42:59
out like last year how are we going to the side like that anyway hopefully I make it this year well I got you i got
43:06
you she just said it live on air april and I'm proud of you April i remember you too uh she started as an intern yes
43:14
yeah as an intern yes i It's It's quietly there was a lot of folks I would
43:20
you know stamp or made sure we got them on that radio because it was hard to get in radio stations in the in the '9s
43:28
right and uh and it wasn't a lot of us we were just on air but we weren't behind the scenes and you know we
43:35
weren't in ad sales we weren't in marketing we weren't in programming we weren't the head we weren't the PDS you
43:42
know what I mean we were the mix show guys and when we got when King Tech and I got in there a lot of that changed wow
43:48
yeah so yeah april proud of you the wake up show the wake up there you go
43:56
april you remember them days april 10:00 [ __ ] april you
44:04
[ __ ] april you better let them know april come on i love her raise
44:11
us raised us sway raised us they like us sway raised us we going to make that a
44:17
new t-shirt raised us april love you and thanks for calling
44:24
okay you You're a super i love you April sway in the morning yes all right that was great let's go hey April we going to
44:30
go to Denmark wow denmark wow my man Dante is in Denmark how you doing Dante
44:36
dante man i'm doing good how you guys doing over there what's up Dante we worldwide come
44:43
on kid you know what it is uh yeah yeah i had to pop open the app and give a listen to you guys i wanted to uh give a
44:50
shout out to Legacy uh you know listening to her her growth over the past decade has been amazing and she may
44:59
not know this but uh one of her close friends is actually my cousin okay okay
45:04
i don't know if she knows uh Troy Sanders yes yes that's one of my best friends
45:11
that's That's my cousin yeah that's my cousin from New York okay
45:18
another thing too i know I know you tour a lot in the States but hey if you ever do a European tour you need a drummer
45:24
i'm your boy oh oh and now All right i got to call Troy first and get get you
45:30
know get approved yeah absolutely troy yeah if you if you ask him here's the
45:35
verification i don't want to throw it out there but his mom's name is Barbara yes there's your There's your Absolutely
45:41
you are the cousin dante what what brought you to Denmark
45:47
give a shout out uh love i met my wife over in over in PA
45:54
uh where I'm from hey and uh she's a Danish citizen and you know we're just
46:01
giving it a shot and see if Denmark's the place to be uh but I am back and
46:06
forth to USA every 3 months so well I'll be back i I'm doing a European tour starting in July in June and then I'll
46:13
be there again in October so it's all on my website lety.com and if you see the
46:18
dates I I'll hook you up i can't hook everybody up right but you family oh it is
46:25
all your family calling calling in exactly exactly
46:32
exact family you know so hey hey we appreciate you Dante thank you for saying hello appreciate you too you guys
46:39
have a good one you one of our ambassadors over there so you're ambassador a sway in the morning
46:44
worldwide worldwide okay so you got the info you ready i'm ready okay all right sway
46:52
in the morning with Heather and Tracy
46:58
G sway in the morning in the morning
47:04
morning on shade 45 that's Lettacy wow man money man
47:14
money one take homie goodness that was nothing for her nothing we should have
47:19
wrote more um how much work you going i'm working while I'm working i mean
47:24
talk to him he don't let up he is so town business town business we going to
47:30
get it done you know we we only got so much time in the day but I I we got to do a part two yes you know and
47:37
absolutely i feel you know now that we're in LA yes right and so we go back and forth
47:43
to New York but we're primarily here we got a beautiful studio downstairs oh so we need a show this is what
47:50
you Garage Series dark Garage Series i'm I would love to i know i would be
47:55
honored okay okay all right as long as you're there though y'all don't know there yeah we will host it oh yes be
48:02
like Don Cornelius and uh Felicia Rashad got together felicia I want to be Kiki
48:08
Sheper from Kiki i want to be Kiki oh yes you have to do twirls i got a twirl sway okay let's make that Felicia Rashad
48:16
Cornelius of a beautiful person that's the I love Felicia Rashad absolutely legend legend michelle Obama he could be
48:23
Michelle with Don Cornelius can I be the Asian lady that used to dance on Soul
48:29
Train what was her name was she from the Twamps to us she was the Asian lady on Soul Train we used to just call her a
48:35
Chinese girl look at her that's not her name no we got to find her call her that we didn't know we didn't know we didn't
48:42
know the the popular woman of Asian descent she's a long-haired from Soul
48:47
Train from Soul Tra she usually wear pink or or blue there she is what's her
48:53
name she was legendary her name is Cheryl song was like Cheryl's song yes
48:58
that's She was the She was getting it she was that one she was getting it she was getting it look at her she looks
49:04
amazing oh there she's still going she danced for 20 almost 20 years from 76 to
49:09
90 wow no that's okay all right okay listen let's get back see we were inclusion there okay I'll be quiet no no
49:15
no but we our people have always about inclusion you know folks could
49:22
always come in you know maybe that's to our detriment i don't know we let everybody in the cookout we let
49:28
everybody in we don't We don't vet them you know what I mean we don't know
49:33
if they double agents we don't know nat Turner nat pull back
49:40
Nat hey Nat my bad we got to be Yeah we from Oakland
49:46
um listen let us see definitely from Oakland but with that you know that we
49:52
you got to go see Sinners yeah yeah i heard Ryan Cougler's movie okay i'm going this weekend and I won't say it in
49:58
verbal you just watch that movie and when you start analyzing it okay i don't
50:04
need to text you while afterwards so we can have a conver we love to have a convo with you i think I saw it early
50:10
and Ryan asked me what did I think before we we interviewed him a couple weeks ago if you get a chance check that out i saw that okay okay but before that
50:17
I told him what I thought and he was like "Wow." You know I was like "Man you talking to me i can't you know keeps me
50:23
from saying too much on air now." But that's why you're here back in the day when I was like April said during the
50:28
10:00 bomb and the wake up show we was just relentless didn't think you know years later I
50:35
would be still doing this so I want God you are i'm so grateful well thank you i'm need this platform and you get your
50:42
playlist together I come and do that one whatever you need just call that's dope okay dope and I mean it i'm about to
50:49
tear up myself i mean it okay all right give it up for Lety y'all yes
50:55
absolutely uh more give it up for Rex Ride Out might be related to Ricky
51:04
where Ricky at call up Ricky anybody else ricky Ride out would call up man that's that's my brother man him um
51:10
Antonio Davis Heather B played in the NBA yeah yeah uh Michael Peters who's
51:16
Marcus Peters played in the NFL's father you know we all ran track together
51:21
that's crazy yeah for AA track club called 1980 and and that was um in the in Oakland and we used to we used to
51:28
train at um Laney College oh my god yeah you know what's up that's why when I got in high school we used to smoke y'all at
51:34
Skyline i'm just saying she know after she said they did call me they did i have to
51:42
admit to it but I'm going to be quiet cuz Skyline it'll the Titans will be mad at me don't say nothing
51:50
love you Legacy give it up for Legacy man the Crown is out April 25th the Love You Two Tour you can catch them her and
51:57
Marsha and Broers um who's a good friend i love Marca she going to sing oh y'all
52:03
going to ride together oh she wrote for my last album with the magic song yeah yeah we saw them together too last year
52:09
at the Robert Glass fiberglass remember and you spit some bars right yeah a
52:14
little bit a little bit no I don't do do that no more i had to I don't know how to do that no no i sang that's what
52:22
I'mma stick to but you spit some bars that day long time ago
52:29
remember when they used to do the pencil yeah begging on the table yep that was me i was the beatbox i wasn't the rapper
52:35
sorry all right okay let us All right man listen we had a beautiful week uh we want to thank all our guests that came i
52:42
can't remember them all
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